Do not read the following if you plan on reading the book, it will spoil it!

First, the author is Indian and she did try all sorts of therapies for her cancer, naturopath, Aryuvedia, etc., ending up with chemo too...she got so weak she was in a wheelchair and on oxygen, with her family taking care of her, it was bleak. Nothing in this world was helping her, and nothing in this world helped her, it was a change in her reality, for lack of a better word, that shifted her energy, as she says, and made her whole, without cancer. It is NOT positive thinking, there is a huge difference.

When she was rushed to the hospital and her family was told her organs were shutting down (she was, medically, dying, or in the process of doing so), she suddenly realized she had no pain, was free, could go anywhere, do anything, all at once, there was no time or space that she was not in. She was surrounded by unconditional love everywhere from everyone, even by those that had hurt her in her past. It is very hard to explain in words because our words are so limiting, but the best I can do is say that she believes we are all of one universal energy, love for for some, chi for others, the word is irrelevant really. What she realized while in this state is that she was perfect just as she is, she did not need to change to please anyone or do anything to make anyone else like her. She was, as she says, magnificent, and realized that self-love is critical to tapping into this universal energy and going from a state of "doing" to a state of "being", or awareness. She let go of all worry, fear, disappointment in herself, etc.

I should mention that she did NOT want to come back to life on this earth-she said it was just too peaceful, perfect, and wonderful in that other place. But somehow she knew she would be healed if she came back, and that she had a purpose to come back to, although she did not know what it was at the time. She knew only that she had one, and that she need do nothing to learn what it was other than to let life unfold.

She firmly believes she got cancer because of stress caused by not loving herself as described above and, once she got cancer, stayed sick because of this plus her morbid fear of cancer. We all know people who love themselves a little toooooo much, and that's not healthy either, because those folks usually hurt others. Her love, her state of being, is not like that.

I haven't finished the book but where I am right now, she is talking about living life in the "doing" state versus "being" state. I think this is like those who medidate to clear their heads: the doing state requires us to plan and plot our time, in order to accomplish various tasks....pay bills, get groceries, etc., and we lose awareness of our wolrd. But in the afterlife, for those that believe in that, you are only in the aware state, and you just "are". It seems like those who medidate are able to tap into that "being" state, and that is why it brings peace, tranquility, calm. I have read so many places that tai chi helps PD, perhaps this has something to do with it.

I'm not commenting on any spiritual aspect of this, what lies ahead or not for us humans, we all have our own beliefs. But I do think most of us could use a little more love of self, realizing that even with whatever flaws we feel we may have, we are still perfect, completely.

What better day to realize how wonderful you are than today, and it's Thanksgiving, to boot!